1. Do you need help travelling to NHS services?

    Advice and Information -

    Find out what support is available to help you when travelling to your GP, hospital or other NHS services.

  2. Should I see a pharmacist instead of a doctor?

    Advice and Information -

    ​​​​​​​Avoid the wait at the GP and know when to visit your pharmacist instead. Look at how your pharmacist can help you.

  3. Hertfordshire County Council Survey: Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment 2020

    News -

    Please read more to find out how you can have an impact on the way pharmaceutical services are commissioned in Hertfordshire in the future.

  4. Consultation: Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment 2018

    News -

    Hertfordshire County Council have asked us to let you know about a current consultation: The Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment 2018.

  5. Staying Well This Winter

    Advice and Information -

    Our local NHS services are here to help you stay well, safely. Do not delay getting help for your health this winter.

  6. Covid-19 safety measures stay in place at healthcare settings

    Advice and Information -

    Official message from NHS England - Anyone using or visiting healthcare settings must continue to wear a face covering and stick to social distancing rules.

  7. What do I do if I’m unwell over the festive period?

    News -

    It can be difficult to know who to contact and what to do if you are unwell during the festive period. Here you’ll find a list of services and when best to contact them.

  8. Consultation on the Hertfordshire Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment 2022

    News -

    The government requires all health and wellbeing boards to produce an assessment of pharmaceutical services in its area, at least every three years.

  9. What do you think about your local pharmacy?

    News -

    Pharmacies are often the easiest and quickest way to access non-urgent health care and advice in England. But what do you think about the pharmacy services in your area? To help local pharmacies better support you, we want to hear your views.

  10. How does the NHS in England work and how is it changing?

    Advice and Information -

    Big changes have been happening across England's health and care system.

  11. What do I do if I’m unwell or need help over the festive period?

    News -

    It can be difficult to know who to contact and what to do if you are unwell or struggling at this time of year. Here you’ll find a list of services and when best to contact them.

  12. Cheaper HRT for women experiencing menopause symptoms

    News -

    Better access to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) will improve the lives of thousands of women in England who suffer from negative symptoms of the menopause.

  13. Let’s talk about the Menopause

    News -

    Every woman will go through the menopause, so it is important that primary care services know how they can best support women during this time. Share your views and help the NHS improve the support it offers.

  14. Supportive local pharmacies could do even more

    News -

    We celebrated World Pharmacist’s Day with the launch of our Views on Community Pharmacies Report, which showed 4 in 5 of those surveyed were satisfied with their local pharmacy and wanted them to offer even more services.

  15. Sexual Health – what do you need?

    News -

    Hertfordshire County Council want to make sure that everyone has easy access to the tests and treatments they need to reduce Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). To help with this, we want to hear your thoughts and experiences in this survey.

  16. What should I do if I’m unwell or need help over the festive period?

    News -

    It can be difficult to know who to contact and what to do if you are unwell or struggling at this time of year. Here you’ll find a list of services that can help and when best to contact them.

  17. Report into Complaints Handling at West Herts Hospital Trust

    Report -

    We worked with West Herts Hospital Trust to review the quality of their final response letters to complainants. Complainants are people who have made a complaint to Trust about the care or treatment they received. Read about what we found here.

  18. Report into Complaints Handling at West Herts Hospital Trust 2018

    Report -

    West Herts Hospital Trust asked us to repeat a qualitative review of their final response letters to complainants. This was to assess what improvements had been in response to our previous recommendations. Read more here.

  19. Accessing Dental Services in Hertfordshire 2016

    Report -

    We were asked to support a local Oral Health Needs Assessment on 'Access to Primary Care Dental Services'. Find out what local residents had to say about their experiences of dental services.

  20. Improving the Patient Experience of Making an NHS Complaint

    Report -

    In response to local feedback about complaints processes, as well as Healthwatch England's report 'Suffering in Silence', we launched our own research into how complaints handling works locally, and what could be improved.

  21. Healthwatch England investigates GP access during COVID-19

    News -

    The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the way people access their GP practice and a report by Healthwatch England has found not everyone is pleased with these changes.

  22. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has investigated ‘do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation’ decisions made during Covid-19.

    News -

    The CQC said it was unacceptable for any do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DNACPR) decisions to be made without proper conversations with the individual, or an appropriate representative, taking into account their wishes and needs.

  23. People living in the poorest areas waiting longer for hospital treatment

    News -

    The King’s Fund and Healthwatch England have jointly called for urgent action to address hospital waiting lists and improve patients’ experience of delays to treatment.

  24. NHS sets plan to improve GP access

    News -

    The NHS has published a plan for improving access to GP appointments for patients alongside supporting GPs and their teams.

  25. NHS dentistry: Healthwatch England has co-signed an open letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer

    News -

    Healthwatch England has co-signed an open letter addressed to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak calling for a recovery plan for NHS dentistry.

  26. Do you think you get the healthcare you deserve, regardless of race or ethnicity? Share your views and experiences

    News -

    Everybody is entitled to access equal and fair treatment from the NHS. But current ethnic inequalities in healthcare mean this is not always the case.

  27. Working Together to Improve GP Access

    News -

    By working together with patients, GPs and the NHS, we are helping tackle the widespread concerns voiced by patients about accessing GP services since the pandemic.

  28. Concerns about dental care at a record high

    News -

    Healthwatch England research has provided a stark reminder that decision-makers must act quickly to improve dentistry.

  29. Local healthcare needs to tackle discrimination, say Black and Asian communities

    News -

    Our ground-breaking Hertfordshire research has found that up to 45 per cent of Black and Asian respondents felt they had been discriminated against in a healthcare setting, with many believing this was because of their ethnicity.

  30. Making Local Healthcare Equal: Healthcare Concerns in Black and Asian Communities

    Report -

    In our latest report, Making Local Healthcare Equal: Healthcare Concerns in Black and Asian Communities, residents shared powerful stories with us, leading to our NHS taking action in tackling ethnic health inequalities.

  31. Healthwatch Hertfordshire Supports Black History Month

    News -

    October is Black History Month and at Healthwatch Hertfordshire we are committed to this year's theme - Time for Change: Actions Not Words.

  32. Views of parents of children and young people accessing local GP services heard in new survey

    Report -

    Local NHS leaders have reiterated their commitment to supporting patients and working to improve access to services with the publication of a Healthwatch report into access to general practice services for parents of children and young people.

  33. Parents and carers voice their concerns about accessing GP Practices

    News -

    Many parents and carers have faced serious problems trying to make GP appointments for their child, sometimes waiting more than an hour to speak to a receptionist, only to be told there are no appointments available.

  34. Views of Broxbourne residents accessing local GP services heard in new survey

    Report -

    Local NHS leaders have reiterated their commitment to supporting patients and working with them to improve access to general practice services in Broxbourne with the publication of a report by Healthwatch Hertfordshire.

  35. Broxbourne residents struggle to access GPs

    News -

    A survey asking Broxbourne residents to tell us about local GP access has shown that 64% of respondents found it ‘difficult’ or ‘very difficult’ to get through to a receptionist by phone – with many waiting up to an hour.

  36. What you've been telling us about local services

    News -

    Access to GPs and dentists, along with issues relating to hospitals and mental health care, are the top concerns you've been sharing with us over the past six months through our Signposting service.